Rating: 
Summary: A Very Fast 800 Pages
Review: "Dombey and Son" (1848) may be about 800 pages long, but it is so rich with drama, suspense, bad omens, melodramas, comic relief, and captivating characters that you do not realize how long the book is. In addition, it is clear from the construction of this masterpiece that Dickens had this work well thought out from the very start. The reconciliation scene between Paul Dombey and his daughter is a scene of such rare beauty even to an English major! Along with "Bleak House" (1853) and "Hard Times" (1854), this is in my opinion a phenomenal masterpiece beyond expectations!
Rating:
Summary: Complex, richly drawn, psychologically accurate characters
Review: A previously posted review asks: "How can readers accept that a woman's happiness can be achieved either through living to make men happy OR through living according to one's conscience? Surely one of these characters deserves the author's condemnation yet neither clearly receives it." It is sad when a reader is so intent on pigeonholing complex, richly drawn characters into narrow politically correct categories that he or she misses out on joys of a wonderful novel like this. Florence is denied her father's love, blames herself, and strives harder for it. This is a psychologically accurate portrait of what such a child would do, not an example of "living to make men happy" that Dickens should have condemned or praised. Likewise as to Edith's "living according to her conscience," although in fact she fails to live according to her conscience, and hates herself for it. And another previously posted review says that "the ending is wonderful, and Dickens ties up the numerous subplots with the most delightful precision." I found the final 100 pages the only bad part of the book, as Dickens artificially ties up matters that he had no need to tie up; he should have ended the book sooner. But this is my favorite Dickens novel so far.
Rating:
Summary: Complex, richly drawn, psychologically accurate characters
Review: A previously posted review asks: "How can readers accept that a woman's happiness can be achieved either through living to make men happy OR through living according to one's conscience? Surely one of these characters deserves the author's condemnation yet neither clearly receives it." It is sad when a reader is so intent on pigeonholing complex, richly drawn characters into narrow politically correct categories that he or she misses out on joys of a wonderful novel like this. Florence is denied her father's love, blames herself, and strives harder for it. This is a psychologically accurate portrait of what such a child would do, not an example of "living to make men happy" that Dickens should have condemned or praised. Likewise as to Edith's "living according to her conscience," although in fact she fails to live according to her conscience, and hates herself for it. And another previously posted review says that "the ending is wonderful, and Dickens ties up the numerous subplots with the most delightful precision." I found the final 100 pages the only bad part of the book, as Dickens artificially ties up matters that he had no need to tie up; he should have ended the book sooner. But this is my favorite Dickens novel so far.
Rating: 
Summary: What the waves tell us.
Review: After tackling the subject of greed and selfishness in "Martin Chuzzlewit",Charles Dickens turned his critical eye on pride and selfishness to achieve another masterwork in "Dombey and Son"."Dombey and Son" presents a vivid "criticism of life" teeming with unforgettable characters and scenes,written with an almost surreal intensity.The novel,like most of Dickens' others,is hauntingly lyrical and is embued with a quiet melancholy."Dombey and Son" tells the story of the destructiveness of a rich merchant's deadening pride on those around him.It details his own "comeuppance",when after ruining much of the lives of those who love him,Dombey is nearly destoyed by the villains and fools surrounding him,who have used his wife-a tragic and desperate golddigger more proud than he-to strike at him."Dombey and Son" illustrates the old message that nothing but love and kindness matter,that we and everything we have will ultimately perish and pride and selfishness are the frailest goods to be bought in this vanity fair.Yet the book's many original characters gives the conception fresh life and its comedy both genial and satiric lightens the sad gloom of such a moral tale.There are(as typical of Dickens)many grotesques in the novel-some good(the affectionate and good-natured Captain Cuttle,the saucy and defensive Susan Nipper),some bad(the sour martinet Mrs. Pipchin,the apoplectic and sycophantic Major) and some just plain evil(that emblem of consummate hypocrisy-Mr. Carker)."Dombey and Son" is like a grand feast where there is so much being served,that you don't know where to begin-and this for some readers may not be a good thing.The book is very long and Dickens' long sentences dwell lovingly on every detail(you will probably never see so many semicolons on one page);they who prefer something that gets to the point quicker or someting lighter may not have the patience for Dickens.However for me this was not a problem-Dickens' use of sentimentality,though, was.It is unfortunate that he chose as with Little Nell,to "angelize" Florence Dombey.She is fatally marred by being made to not only meekly love a father who neglects and despises her but to wander forlornly around their house,kissing the furniture he has touched and spending half the book in tears.This is a shame since Florence is at times charming and some of the book's more powerful scenes make effective use of her.The character of the precocious and doomed Paul Dombey,however is of a different achievement.The chapter entitled(I think)"What the waves were always saying" details with hallucinatory intensity the world to the eyes of a dying child and was one of the most famous scenes with the Victorians;it remains one of the most powerful in all of literature."Dombey and Son" despite its length and flaws will always remain for the true lover of literature-immortal.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Fast 800 Pages.
Review: Although this novel is 800 pages long, it is so well constructed that you do not notice how long it is. Careful reading of this enables you to see that Dickens had this novel very carefully thought out from the start. Characters such as Paul Dombey, Florence, and little Paul are very well drawn and very convincing. I can not overestimate the grace in which Dickens balances suspense, good and bad omens, comic relief, and powerful images. The reconciliation scene between Florence and her father is a scene of such rare and exquisite beauty. (even to me an English Major) Along with "David Copperfield" (1850), "Bleak House" (1853), and "Hard Times" (1854), this is a phenomenal masterpiece beyond expectations.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow moving but still essential Dickens
Review: Despite this novel being one of Dickens' least read and least known novels, it is definitely not a lost classic. It is typical, in a Dickensian way, but it is also very slow. The pace of the novel lags due to the fact that: (a) it is a typically long "loose baggy monster" of the Victorian era; (b) Dickens' connecting prose passages are "old fashioned" and either too prosaic or sentimental; and (c) the characters (especially Florence) are too one-dimensional. For example: Florence is too sentimental, Dombey is too hard (initially) and Paul is far too intelligent and perceptive for his age. For those of us living in this modern world who desire an aquaintance with Victorian classics, give this a miss. If you must read Dickens (and he must continue to be read), read CHUZZELWITT or DORRIT instead. DOMBEY is just too long and too plot-fixated for any but those with an already acquired taste for Dickens.(Perhaps a Trollopian heroine might also be to your taste.)
Rating:
Summary: Don't pass this one up---it grabs you from page 1
Review: Dombey and Son isn't one of Dickens' well known works. After all, English teachers have not spent the last 100 years poisoning it for their students the way they poison so many of Dickens' other works. But it is one of the loveliest books Dickens has written! Do not be put off by those descriptions of it being about money and the horrors of the economic system. That is only a small part of the story. There is amazing depth to the characters in these pages: they surprise us, they astonish us, they break our hearts, and they give us hope. However, the plot has a couple of wee holes in it. For example, why would proud Mr. Dombey entrust a manager under him with his personal problems with his wife, Edith? And why would the said manager, as slimy and ambitious a toad as they come, throw away his chances of taking over Dombey's firm by running away with Edith? But the writing is so lovely, and the consequences of these minor faults are so intriguing, that it is easy to forgive them. The ending is wonderful, and Dickens ties up the numerous subplots with the most delightful precision. The book is close to a 1000 pages, but it's worth it, every lovely word of it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story, Touching Plot, Adorable Characters
Review: First and foremost, this is the first story that has been truly able to touch the part of my brain that is concerned with love and affections (functions mistakenly assigned to the heart in former times). The touching and tragically-ended relationship between the young girl Florence and her brother left me sleepless and haunted for many nights. Mr. Dombey's coldness towards his daughter Florence made me pity the little girl and their eventual reconciliation and mutual love made me quite delighted, though I was still haunted by the earlier parts of the book when I reached the end. Secondly, I have found myself to be quite in love with Florence. Even though she is a fictional character, her innocence and love and affection for everyone who is kind to her has won me over. If only Florence could come to life, travel through time to the twenty-first century, and arrive in my household, I would love her forever as my sister. I am quite jealous of Walter Gay indeed.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely riveting! One of my finest.
Review: I beleive I have reached my zenith with this latest masterpeice. It overwhelms me. Alot of blood, sweat, and tears have went into this book, and it certainly pays off well. I hope everyone can benefit by reading this emotionaly saturated novel.
Rating:
Summary: Dombey & Daughter
Review: I saw a first edition of this book at the home of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's relatives when I was on vacation in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Never having heard of it, I decided to check it out. Reading 155 years after it was written in 1846, it is interesting to note differences in the writing style to our modern authors. I imagine people didn't want books to end back then because there wasn't tv, movies or other distractions. So this book is very looooong! It's not unusual for sentences to have 12 clauses with lots of commas -- the point being that it does not read quickly. However, it is a well constructed tale, with details presented early on tied up by the end of the book. Particularly interesting to me was the comment it makes on the role of women and how much the women's movement that was to come was needed. Paul Dombey is a business man so set on his company and its interests, that he desires a son to carry on above all else. His disregard and detachment from his daughter is almost incredible to me. As a father of a daughter whom I love so dearly, I almost can't conceive of this man's behavior. Indeed, Dickens excludes us from most of Dombey's emotional life. We see events swirl around him, but never get much into his head until the end. My favorite character is the second wife Edith. She stands so proud, so uncompromising, that it's hard to imagine her ever marrying Dombey in the first place. Her desire to be treated as a person, not as a fixture or piece of property, is so noble that our hearts go out to her and flee with her that night that she runs from Dombey. The daughter Florence is almost too good to be true. Just once, I wanted her to answer an adult with "Whatever," or "I don't want to talk about it," that it made me feel as if she were from a different century. We certainly rejoice for her happiness as she finds true love with her husband and becomes a mother herself. The book is populated with wonderful supporting characters. The spinster Miss Tox, the social climbing sister Mrs. Chick, the dastardly Carker, and of course the angelic young son Paul who is almost too good to last too long. While this book may rest on your nightstand for a while before you finish, it is well worth the time investment reading one of Dickens' lesser known but excellent tales. Enjoy!
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